Aarp Leader - Lewis B. Thurston Jr.

Lewis B. Thurston Jr., the new president of the Hampton Chapter of the American Association of Retired Persons, is happy that he retired in 1978 at age 53.

Thurston, now 65, had worked for the NASA Langley Research Center for 35 years, but has found his time spent since then just as fulfilling.

"I've been enjoying my retirement," says the Hampton resident. "I have been active in area organizations, and my wife, Esther, and I have done some traveling. We have visited the Western and Northwestern parts of the country. We've been to Alaska and Canada twice."

The Thurstons travel in a motor home, visiting such places as the Denali National Park, a large area encompassing Mount McKinley where there are a lot of animals, including moose, elk and bears.

"While in Alaska, we traveled to Homer, Fairbanks and Anchorage," he says. "I like the outdoors. We took a 12-day trip down the Colorado river from Lee's Ferry to Pierce's Ferry through the Grand Canyon. That was a super trip with several rapids. We found that whole trip exciting. We did side hikes up the canyon every day.

"We saw wonderful scenery, including trees, plants and streams. In the side canyons, we saw one or two trees that even the veteran boatmen hadn't seen before."

In addition to AARP, Thurston is a member of the Gem and Mineral Society of the Virginia Peninsula, the Norfolk Botanical Gardens Society, Virginia Bonsai Society, Tall Cedars of Lebanon, the National Association of Retired Federal Employees and the Lafayette Gun Club in York County.

Thurston went to work at the research center, then the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics, in November 1942 as a sheet metal worker.

As a materials engineer, he did research on nondestructive testing, a method of inspection that uses ultrasonics and X-rays, allowing examination of materials without destroying them.

"I liked the idea of being able to check something out without damaging or destroying it," he says. "There are methods that are harmful to materials when tests are made for strength and fatigue properties."

Thurston also collects rocks and is becoming more interested in legislation to help the elderly.

The Thurstons have two children, Lewis III of Virginia Beach and David of Portsmouth, who will soon be moving to Guam.